Feel like Bigfoot? Plastic surgery can help

Feel like Bigfoot? Want to fit into those stylish heels? The width of your toes can be fixed thanks to plastic surgery. Foot narrowing and toe shortening procedures are the latest trend in cosmetic surgery, but at a high cost: $10,000-$20,000 per foot and about $1,000 for a toe, according to Empowered Doctor.

The side effects of plastic surgery are unexpected scarring, excessive bleeding and bruising, nerve damage and tissue death, according to Methods of Healing. Still, people are signing up for these invasive procedures that are not always necessary, bringing into to play the question of ethics.

As reported by CBS News, plastic surgery is no longer just the usual nip and tuck procedure but has also expanded to ab construction, grin lifts, nipple reduction and even genital surgery.

The Huffington Post reports that “toe-besity” surgery is not considered favorable among some plastic surgeons, even though Americans spent $10.4 billion on cosmetic surgery in 2011:

Dr. Hillary Brenner, a member of the American Podiatric Medical Association, told “Good Morning America”, “I don’t think it’s ethical unless you’re having pain.” Not only is the surgery entirely elective, meaning insurance companies won’t cover the cost of the pricey procedure (prices range from the hundreds up to the thousands), but patients take on the same medical gambles as any major surgery, according to Brenner:

“You’re undergoing risks — there’s the risk of anesthesia, infection, deformity of the toe if the surgery is not done right, a risk of reoccurrence and the risk of surgery in general. It’s trauma to the foot.”